Finding Grace
by DemonsAndDolls
Summary: Average human Gabriel finds himself thrown into a war. A war that he, apparently, started. With a humorless angel to protect him, Gabriel must find a way to restore his missing grace and try to bring an end to this fight...and, with any luck, get said angel into bed. Sabriel! AU!
1. Chapter 1

**So, I'm procrastinating today. Bored, suffering from writer's block (again) and not really sure what to do with myself. So, here's a little fic for Sabriel because you can't help but love these two. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Love ya, dolls! X**

Chapter 1 Saved

"HEY, I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, NO FIGHTING IN MY BAR!" Gabriel almost jumped out of his skin at the anger in Ellen's voice. He rushed forward to help, throwing an apologetic look at the customers he had been serving. Ellen was a tough chick, one that Gabriel wouldn't cross even if he had a machine gun in his hands. But these men were huge and were going to draw blood one way or the other. As much as he knew she could handle herself, he wouldn't risk her getting hurt.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gabriel yelled, having bounced over the bar and reached the two men first. They grappled and fell, landing on top of the smaller man. Normally he wouldn't complain about having huge men on top of him. But these guys were fat, drunk, truck drivers who wreaked of stale beer and sweat. Not flattering in the slightest. "OMPH!" All the air was forced out of his lungs as one of the men's elbows connected with his chest. He gasped for air and felt a little satisfied when he was able to kick enough to connect with one of their stomachs.

"GET OFF HIM!" He heard the distinct _thwack_ of Ellen's baseball bat connecting with one of the men. He let out a howl of pain, clutched at the back of his head and suddenly Gabriel could breathe again. He felt arms wrap around him as someone helped him to stand. "Both of you, take it outside…NOW!" Ellen barked and pointed at the door.

The two men glared at each other and then slowly backed out of the bar, fully aware that some of the other customers were ready to strike if they caused anymore trouble.

Gabriel sniffed loudly, feeling blood dripping down his face. His face suddenly throbbed with an unknown pain.

"Come on, short stack, lets get you cleaned up." He heard Jo mutter, as she tugged his arm and pulled him towards the back of the bar. He went willingly, not all that comfortable with anyone seeing his aching face. He had been so pumped on adrenaline that he couldn't even remember getting hit in the face.

_I can feel it now! _He thought bitterly.

Jo placed a cloth under the his nose to try and help stem the blood flow. Gabriel took it in his hand, allowing her to check his other injuries.

"Why is it always you that comes out the worst?" She huffed loudly. Jo was overly protective of her friends and she considered Gabriel one of her closest.

"I think people are insistent on damaging my face because they are jealous of my amazing good looks." He teased and winked at her, causing her to smack his arm in a disapproving manner. Though he could make out the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Keep that there until the bleeding stops. Then go home." She ordered and Gabriel immediately began to protest. "You are covered in blood and your face is beginning to swell. I'll call Dean and ask him to cover your shift."

Gabriel slumped back against the box he was sitting on. It wasn't that he was weak or anything. He could always hold his own in a fight. But Dean and Balthazar possessed a different kind of strength. All they had to do was look at someone who was ready to cause trouble and the fight instantly broke up. Gabriel, being a little smaller and skinnier, had to put a little more effort into it. He just didn't look threatening enough.

He sighed again and stood to look in the cracked mirror on the opposite wall. He really did look like hell. Blood was already beginning to dry against his blue shirt and his left eye was almost swollen shut.

_No déjà vu please, I don't want to go through this again…_

?/?/?/?/?/?/?/

Dean had arrived in record time and Gabriel had discreetly excused himself. Dean was a great guy but Gabriel wasn't in the mood for a ribbing tonight. He was sore and feeling a little…ok, _a lot_ sorry for himself. He slipped out the back of the bar and began the long walk back towards the town. His car was in for repairs and he didn't feel like making idle chat with a cab driver who really couldn't give a flying fuck. Plus he had originally been going to get a ride home with Jo, so he hadn't brought any cash.

The streets were quiet for a Saturday night. Gabriel assumed most locals had either made their way to the Roadhouse or had headed out of town to some more up market bars. He appreciated the quiet though. His apartment had paper thin walls and he knew he was in for a night of listening to his neighbours fucking like rabbits.

_Just another night in paradise! _

Gabriel had barely a moment to relish in his own sarcastic wit, when he felt something warm against his back and cold against his throat. He gulped loudly, not needing to see the knife to know that it was there.

"Give me your money!" A man hissed low in his ear.

"Haven't any on me." Gabriel replied nervously. He wasn't a fool. If he had money with him, he would have happily handed it over. But all he had was his bank cards and wallet, which the man fished out of his back pocket. He felt a strong shove to his back, as the man guided him down a dark alleyway. Now Gabriel considered himself a brave man, all things considered. But when you're stood in alleyway with, not one but, three men holding weapons, you can safely assume that he was scared.

"Look, guys, I really don't have any money. I can get you some. Just don't do anything that's going to cause you more trouble." He offered, trying to reach out to some piece of human decency that these men might possess.

"If we can't get money, then we'll take payment in blood." Gabriel backed up into the wall and looked around frantically for something to defend himself with. But there was nothing. Nothing to place between him and the knife that was making a quick decent on his chest.

"I believe he said he could not assist you in your need for money. Kindly step away from him!" Gabriel reopened his eyes, not having known he had closed them, and took in the man standing directly behind his attacker. The other two were already lying unconscious next to a pile of rubbish bags. The other man seemed to be weighing up his options, deciding whether or not he could take down the unarmed man.

"Fuck this!" He hissed nervously and ran as fast as he could down the alley and out into the lit up street. Gabriel looked at the two men on the ground, then back to the giant of man stood in front of him. He hadn't heard a thing. They hadn't yelled in pain, or given any sign that they were being hurt.

_How the hell?! He Obi-Waned their asses!_

"Th-thanks…for, uh…you know." He indicated the two men on the ground, but the man in front of him continued to stare directly at him.

"You are injured." He said matter-of-factly. Gabriel instinctively touched his swollen eye and winced at the touch of pain. When the taller man advanced on him he, once again, backed up against the wall. His eyes widening when he felt a heated touch along the bruise.

"What are you…" Whatever he was going to ask died in his throat when he felt the swelling ease and the pain disappear, as his eye returned to normal. The man then stood back, tilting his head slightly to look over Gabriel's face.

"You need to be more careful, Gabriel." He said. Before Gabriel could reply, the man was gone. One second he had just been standing there and the next…nothing. He could have sworn he heard wings fluttering.

?/?/?/?/?/?/?/?

"So, this guy just touched your face and the pain was gone?" Jo asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Look at the evidence for yourself!" Gabriel snapped and pointed at his eye. There was not a mark on him. No yellowing bruise, no swelling around his eye or nose…not a scratch on him. Even the slight bruising on his chest had vanished.

"Well," Jo started and bit her lip. She had always been the more logical of the two of them. Always seeking a rational explanation and Gabriel had been banking on her finding one for this. But it looked like she was a stumped as he was. "Faith healer?"

"I don't believe in that crap! And faith healers cant vanish into thin air!" He hissed and shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. He couldn't explain why, but he had never been overly enthusiastic about religion. Even before he had discovered he was gay. He didn't believe in God, Angels, demons, Lucifer and all that shebang.

"Well, if you can come up with another explanation, then please, enlighten me." Jo snapped and shifted off the sofa. He had called her over for help, not for religion to get crammed down his throat. She made her way into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. A true friend, after all, does not await permission.

"I don't know. Maybe…I don't know." He said in a defeated tone. He should just be grateful that the guy helped him. He would be lying in a morgue right now if it wasn't for his Knight in plaid armour. But the not knowing was really driving him crazy. "I'm gonna go look for him." He stated suddenly. Jo marched back into the lounge with two cups of coffee in her hands and a worried look on her face.

"Do you think that's a wise idea?" She asked, coming back to sit next to him.

"No. But if I don't, then I'm going to spend the rest of my life wondering." He replied. He didn't even know where to start looking. But, he figured, the best place to start would be back at the scene of the crime.

?/?/?/?/?/?/?/?/?

I had seemed like a good plan. But really, Gabriel didn't know what to expect. He had thought that maybe the guy lived nearby, or even worked in the local area.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me?" A shop assistant walked forward with a kind smile on her face.

"I'm looking for a guy that might live in the area. He's over six foot tall, shoulder length brown hair…you know him?" He asked and the woman rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Try the dating network!" She snapped and walked away muttering _'waste of bloody time'_. Obviously she had been hoping for a sale that she wasn't going to get.

Gabriel let his head drop to the counter. Feeling a little more ridiculous by every passing second. Why had he bothered? Did he want to thank the guy? Ask him how he could do all that crazy shit? Did he really want that sort of drama in his life?

He turned and walked out of the store, groaning at his admitted defeat. He walked the few blocks back to his apartment and made his way into the elevator. An elderly man stepped in next to him and proceeded to press the button to his floor over and over again. Gabriel looked over at him and rolled his eyes.

_Oh, so pushing the button more than once gets you to your floor faster? Who knew!?_

Eventually the doors began to slide closed and they began moving up in an awkward silence. When they reached the fourth floor, Gabriel stretched his arm outwards, indicating for the other man to go first. He only received a 'humph' in return. He walked slowly down to his apartment, unlocked the door and walked in, falling back against it and shutting his eyes for a moment to calm his annoyance.

"You have been searching for me." Gabriel's eyes almost bugged out of his head. Standing in the shadows, by the window, was the very man he had been searching for.

"You…you…how the hell did you get in here?!" He found himself yelling.

"I…have my means." Came the only reply.

"Well, take your_ means_ and get the hell out of my home." He snapped, reaching over to turn on the lights. When the room lit up, Gabriel did a double take. The man had a split lip and looked like he was struggling to put his weight on one foot. His shirt had splashes of blood over it and his face was pale. He looked worse than Gabriel had the previous night.

"Your hurt." Gabriel said and slowly moved forward to where the man was leaning against the wall.

"It would appear so." He replied and allowed Gabriel to take his arm and guide him to the sofa.

"What happened?" He asked, watching as the man groaned and fell into a sitting position, slumping to one side and trying to find some comfort.

"A fight I was unprepared for." The man replied, looking up at him. Gabriel stepped back and headed to the kitchen, quickly returning with a bowl of hot water and a cloth.

"You saving more people?" He teased trying to lighten the mood. "Always looking after the damsels in distress."

"No…I," He winched slightly when Gabriel brushed the cloth over his lip. "I needed to keep you safe. The fight came from my brothers."

"Family dramas? I know what that's like." Gabriel replied and then noticed the way the man was clutching his stomach. "Take your shirt off. I need to check your other injuries."

"I will heal in time." The man said and made no effort to move.

"Yeah well, while we're waiting for that time to pass. Let. Me. See." He made his point by tugging roughly on the man's shirt with each word. When he still made no effort to move, Gabriel rolled his eyes and moved to sit beside him on the couch. He knew the guy was watching him as he unbuttoned his shirt and slowly turned his head to look at him. Gabriel couldn't resist the little gasp that slipped past his lips. This man had looked almost dangerous the night before. Now, injured and unsure, he looked so innocent. It also didn't help that he had a body that Gabriel would more than happily run his hands and tongue over.

_The guy is hurt and probably scared as hell. Get your damn head out of the gutter._

"Your brothers did this to you?" He asked in shock, noticing the small slice marks across the man's chest.

"Yes, we…had a disagreement." The man replied.

"Must have been some disagreement." Gabriel replied. He grabbed the cloth and dropped it into the bowl, lifting it and wringing it out before placing it over the cuts. "What's your name?" He asked, realising he still didn't know.

"Samuel." The man replied, watching as Gabriel slid the cloth over his chest.

"Samuel." He repeated and then looked up at him. "Well, Samuel, if you are having some big fight with your brothers…that looks a lot more dangerous than any fight I've had with mine…why were you looking for me?" He asked.

"Because you are the reason behind the fight, Gabriel." Samuel said without breaking eye contact.

"What?" He gaped at him like he had grown two heads. "What do you mean, I'm the reason?"

"You are the reason the angels are at war. You're the broken link…and we need you back."

**Well, there you have it. Hope you like it. It's a little more dramatic than I had anticipated…but meh, Gabriel will still add the needed humour. So what do you think of Angel Sam. I always loved Jared's Ezekiel/Gadreel character. I thought he played it so well. But don't worry, Sam ain't turning evil on us. So thoughts? Keep or delete? Love ya dolls! X **


	2. Chapter 2

**Suddenly a burst of inspiration…what the hell? Anyway, thanks for the reviews for the first chapter. Here's the second one. Please leave a review. Love ya, dolls! X**

Chapter 2 Vessels and Friends

Gabriel had laid in his bed for most of the night, tossing and turning over everything Samuel had told him. Angels, demons…a war on Earth? This was not good. He wanted no part of it. But it looked like he had no way of getting out of it either.

_Flashback…_

_"You're kidding me, right? This is a joke! Where're the hidden cameras?" He looked at the injured…angel? He was still lying on the couch with the cooling cloth on his chest. Gabriel stood up and began pacing back and forth across the room. "You're going to have to explain this a little better to me, Sam!"_

_"You were once an angel." Sam, as Gabriel had started calling him, told him. "You fell to Earth thirty years ago. A blink of an eye in an angel's life. But you were our commander. You kept everything in order. When you left, everyone developed a power struggle, ready to take your place."_

_"You're insane!" Gabriel barked, still walking back and forth. "Look at me! Do I look like a leader of an army? I'm just a regular guy. There's nothing special about me." He didn't miss the way Sam gave him a look of agreement. It stung a little, but he hid it well._

_"Maybe so, in human form. But, if you had your grace back, you would regain the unlimited power you once possessed." Samuel explained._

_"Ok, I'm going to bed. You," he pointed a finger at the angel's face, "be gone in the morning!" With that he had stormed into his room and slammed the door closed, locked it and pushed his dressing table in front of it._

Safety first, damn it_! He told himself before climbing into bed and laying a bat down next to him._ Safety first!

Present time…

After a very tough inner pep talk, Gabriel finally pulled the dressing table away from the door and gently eased it open. He stuck his head out, bat gripped tightly in his hand, and glanced around. No sign of the mad man anywhere. He sighed in relief and stepped out. Still holding the bat of course, no harm in being cautious.

"I thought you might be hungry." A voice behind almost had him jumping out of his skin.

"HOLY!" He turned and swung the bat as hard as he could, cracking it across Sam's cheek. Though the angel's head barely turned on impact and Gabriel could feel a slightly throb in his hands. "Don't do that!" He yelled. He cast his eyes down when Sam held a plate up to him. Pancakes drizzled in honey and chocolate. His mouth watered at the sight of it. But he just gave the angel an accusing look. "Is it poisoned?" He asked.

"No!" Sam replied, looking a little offended that Gabriel would think that.

"Fine." He took the plate and then held it out to him. "You have the first one then."

"Poison would not affect an angel the same way it affects a human. You would not get the desired reaction if it was poisoned." He explained.

"You could just be telling me that. Humor me." Gabriel insisted and pushed the plate closer, trying to ignore the low growl in his stomach when he finally caught a sniff of the flavours.

"If you insist." Sam replied and lifted one, taking a small bite. Gabriel was a little surprised by his reaction. When he had offered Sam food the night before, before he had started talking about angels and wars, he had refused. Telling the man that he did not require food. But his eyes were closed, he let out a contented breath and Gabriel had to rescue what was left of his pancakes before the asshole ate them all.

"Ok, ok there not poisoned! Share damn it!" He snatched, what was left, away and made his way over to the couch. He heard the distinct noise of Sam sucking the honey off his fingers and tried to resist the urge to look. "I thought I told you to be gone." He said when Sam took a seat next to him. He noticed that the angel was no longer limping and his injuries seemed to have healed alarmingly quickly.

"I am aware that this is a lot to take in. But, Gabriel, you must understand, a lot of angels don't want you to get your grace back. They want to take the leadership position. So you are not safe in your human form." Sam explained. Gabriel didn't miss the way he eyed the pancakes again. Rolling his eyes he handed the plate over, allowing him to lift one.

_This is like the beginning of a bad joke._ He thought. _An angel and a human are sitting on the couch eating pancakes…stop me if you've heard this one…_

"So what, we find my grace and recharge my mojo…then what? Will I die?" He asked a littler nervously.

"No, the vessel you are in now…is your own. You will merely be a stronger version of yourself." Sam explained then took another bite of his pancake.

"Vessel?" Gabriel asked with confusion.

"Mortal host." Came the explanation. Gabriel's eyes widened and he looked Sam up and down.

"Are you telling me…that there is a human trapped in there with you?" He hissed suddenly worrying about the safety of the man.

"No." Sam replied, wiping the last of the honey from his lips. "New laws were put into place. An angel can only possess a host if the soul has left the body. Jared, I believe his name was, died a few hours before I occupied the vessel."

"I guess that's a relief." Though Gabriel was wondering if it was considered necrophilia if he was still attracted to the man.

_Stop it! He is trying to fill your head with all this angel crap! And all you can think about is how hot he is? You're sick!_

"Would it have been a problem if he was still here?" Sam asked, giving him a curious look.

_It might, considering the fact that I want to rub you down with what left of the honey and then lick…NO! STOP IT!_

"I just don't like the idea of someone not being in control of their own body." He argued and Sam still looked confused.

"You are very different than you were before." He said simply.

"How so?" Gabriel asked. Still not fully believing him, but letting him ramble on none the less.

"You once possessed a man for two hundred years. Not caring that his family was gone, his lover deceased and his descendants being the same age as him." Sam replied.

"I wouldn't…something like that…this is bullshit!" He yelled and stood up, kicking the coffee table and stubbing his toe. "You can't actually expect me to believe all of this."

BANG, BANG, BANG!

"Who is it?!" Gabriel called, still glaring at the man occupying his couch.

"Gabe, its Jo. Open up!" He looked wildly at Sam and then back at the door.

"Not a word!" He ordered and made his way over to the door. Jo was stood there, smiling wildly as she stepped past him into the room. "Hey." He said giving her a strange look.

"Hey, you." She grinned and turned to face him, hands clasped behind her back.

"You ok?" He asked. Jo never looked this cheery in the morning. In fact, she was never normally_ up_ this early in the morning.

"I'm great. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked and stepped forward to hug him. Now he really was suspicious. Actually wondering if his friend might be drunk!

"You just seem…" Gabriel's words died as Sam stepped into view. He was looking at Jo with both worry and anger.

"Gabriel, I believe it is time we left." He said and Jo immediately turned to look at him.

"Who's this?" She asked.

"Uh, Jo, this is Sam. He's the guy that helped me the other night." He gave Jo a curious look as she shifted from foot to foot, grasping at her long sleeves.

_It's the middle of the fucking Summer, why the hell is she wearing that top?_

"Oh." She said. Gabriel barely had a chance to react as Jo pulled a long silver dagger from her sleeve and slashed it at him. She only missed because Sam was quick to grab her. "Samuel, always the hero!" She yelled and made an attempt to cut into the arms that were wrapped around her.

"You are breaking every law we have!" Sam growled and threw her across the room. "Release that girl! _She did not give you permission_!"

"Make me!" She yelled back. Gabriel gawked as a blade appeared in Sam's hand. He rushed forward and the fight began. It was a flurry of punches, kicks and clashing of blades.

"NO!" Gabriel screamed as Sam brought his blade down on Jo's chest, stopping inches from her flesh. "Don't you dare hurt her!"

Sam relented and placed his hand on Jo's head, mumbling words that Gabriel could hear. Jo's eyes glowed a violent blue before she slumped to the ground. Her friend ran straight to her side.

"She'll be fine." Sam hissed, nursing a slightly swollen arm. He used his good arm to haul Gabriel to his feet and dragged him towards the door.

"What are you doing?" He yelled, looking back at Jo's unconscious body. "We can't leave her like that!" Sam rounded on him, eyes blazing with a fury that Gabriel had not witnessed before.

"It is my job to keep you safe!" He growled, still clutching at the man's arm. "Angels are now possessing hosts, willing or unwilling. Which means the people you love and care about could be the very ones who will harm you!"

Without another word he dragged the man outside and down the street. Gabriel barely had time to register what was happening, when Sam wrapped his arms around him and everything went black.

?/?/?/?/?/?/?/?

"I guess that explains how you got into the apartment." Gabriel muttered as he stumbled over to the bed. He felt sick and weak, after having jumped from one location to another in the blink of an eye. "Are you sure Jo will be ok?"

"You're friend will be fine. I erased her memory of everything that happened. She will have no recollection of any of this." Sam replied, glancing out the window at the dimly lit street.

"How do I know that _you_ aren't going to kill me?" Gabriel said suddenly. He sat up and eyed Sam suspiciously.

"My job is to keep you safe." Sam answered, still keeping his back to Gabriel.

"So, do you and I have some sort of history then?" He was definitely warming to the idea that Sam might be telling the truth. There was enough evidence to support that theory.

"Of sorts." Sam replied, still not showing his face.

"You're avoiding my questions." Gabriel snapped. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I think you have heard enough for today. Get some rest." Came another, subject changing, reply.

"What? Come on, it can't be that bad!" Gabriel begged. "Were we friends?"

"Yes." Sam replied.

"Did we work together?" Gabriel pushed.

"Yes." Gabriel was beginning to get sick of the one worded answers. So he tried a new angle.

"Lovers?" He saw how Sam's shoulders immediately tensed and he knew he had struck a nerve.

"No." He replied eventually.

"Did we want to be?" This time he got no answer. "Look, I wont be offended if you turned me down. I'm kind of used to that." When Sam turned to face him, Gabriel suddenly got that nervous threatened feeling again.

"I did not turn you down, Gabriel." He growled. "You turned me down." He walked over and sat on the opposite bed, glaring at the wall. "I think it is safe enough here for tonight. Get some rest."

"No way." Gabriel snapped and moved to sit next to him. "You can't tell me something like that and then expect me to sleep."

"There is nothing more to discuss." Sam dead panned and refused to look at him.

"Of course there is! Do you know why?" He asked and Sam still wouldn't look him in the eye.

"I believe it was around the time you chose to fall." Gabriel didn't know what possessed him to do what he did next. He blamed it on the pain of being alone, the fear he had felt all day…and his insane attraction to the powerful being who was devoting his life to keeping him safe.

"Well, I guess there is an excuse for everything then, isn't there?" He said before cupping the angel's confused face and pulled it around so they were facing each other. Before Sam could open his mouth to speak, Gabriel sealed their lips together and moaned deep into his mouth.

_You're defiling an angel! If we don't find that grace, you can bet your ass you are going to hell!_

**I have no intentions of making this story very long. I'm just enjoying the fluffy romance between these two. Hope you liked this chapter. Please leave the little demon and review. Love ya, dolls! X**


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